Great Dojo

[Panda]

Nanako

"If you're naturally this grumpy, it's even worse!" Nanako shot back, continuing her aggressive affection for a while longer before finally releasing Zhang from her comforting clutches.

"Hmph, alright, if you insist," the squirrel girl huffed, turning on her heel and crossing her arms tight under her chest, "Besides, it's not shameless when I've got nothing to be ashamed of."

All the while, her tail was swishing back and forth behind her, easily within Zhang's reach and looking just as fluffy as it had felt, seemingly beckoning for someone to pet it.

[yinsukin]

Sethrol

The shadowy figure of the old man appeared behind them, his bulky frame immediately visible to them both.  With a gentle smile, he extended his hand offering Nanako the shovel.  "Its a good attitude to have, but perhaps you should consider how much your lack of shame effects those who are drawn to the female figure.  After all, a man is brought shame when... things happen with females in specific situations."

They really didn't need a shovel.

[YOLF]

Zhang Liu

Confounding meddler. It didn't matter what foolish temptations she tried to present, he was above this. It wasn't any of his business how shameless she was, so long as she kept it out of his face.

He clicked his teeth, pushing his way past the fluffy tail like he would a cumbersome curtain, and prepared to pick up Jonathan's body.

[Panda]

Nanako

"Hmph, alright then," Nanako shrugged, taking the shovel. Her fluffy tail swished faster for a moment as Zhang pushed past it, as if invigorated by the simple touch. Without a word, Nanako took the offered shovel, not entirely caring that it would be redundant as she hefted it over her shoulder, and stepped back as Grumpy picked up the body. Well, she couldn't really blame him for being grumpy when he was holding a corpse.

[yinsukin]

Sethrol

Sethrol folded his arms over his chest and grunted to himself.  This was an awkward situation indeed.  Still, these two were so much younger than him.  How could he possibly ease the tension between these two very different people.  The old man allowed only around 10-20 seconds of thought before coming to an answer: rambling.  Yes, if they were annoyed at him for talking so much, they couldn't be annoyed at each other.

"Well then, as promised its time I told a story about Jonathan.  I think you both would appreciate it.  You see, it started back when you all were children......"

[YOLF]

Zhang Liu

He rolled his eyes, as if evading the sight of his old master could banish the thought that was about to ensue. "Please, leave it for another time," he said, voice choked.

[Panda]

Nanako

Nanako perked up when Sethrol made the offer, tail swishing faster and ears perking up as her curiosity was piqued. And so, where Zhang knew to dread what was to come, Nanako instead welcomed it in blissful ignorance.

"Oh? Sure, let's hear it," she piped up, unleashing their doom with bright eyes and an eager question.

[yinsukin]

Sethrol

"I shall start our story with a simple question.  What does it mean to pursue a shadow?"

Sethrol removed his arms from his chest and waved his arm at the two, motioning the two of them to keep digging.  Yes, he was completely committed to this obnoxious old man role, even if Zhang became infuriated with him.  In fact, a still lingering inner child within him wanted to see that reaction.  That is probably why he smiled as he talked.

"While not all who reside in this district grew up in it, those who have must endure a rigid culture.  A person's fighting ability means everything in this district and so a girl born with a disease that cripples her physically was destined to wither away.  Still, the girl clawed at death and found a foothold that allowed her to cling to life.  Now you may think that such an action would earn praise from the community, a success story to match the greatest, but human nature is not so simple.  Indeed, when she lived, there was universal praise from the community, the girl fighting death itself and coming out on top.  However, the weak girl didn't settle for simply living.  She wanted to thrive, to stand next to the greatest in the dojo and become as strong as she could be."

Sethrol walked over to Jonathan and gave the body a little glare.  "Nanako you may not know this but in this dojo, the great houses of the district hold ideas of what it takes to be a great fighter.  Talent, effort, knowledge, spirituality, focus:  all of these have held spots as the great dojos of our district.  There was one dojo in particular the one held by Seras the hero of talent who struck down the master of effort and created the dojo of talent in its ashes whom could not stand Mira.  To her and her students, the girl was admirable when she was granted life, but a pathetic roach when she rose beyond that.  It turned out the sympathy given to her was one passed down from a pedestal and when the girl rose to join her breathern on that stage, they knocked her off.  For you see, her ambition, her desire, her happiness was never really what they cared about, merely protecting their own worldview."

Sethrol took Jonathan from Zhang's hands and placed it in the hole, motioning for the two to start shoveling his body.  "Unlike the girl, Jonathan was gifted with a physique that would make a greek god jealous and strength that would inspire Hercules.  He was also born with an affinity for magic, making him one of the "talented" ones in the district.  What  do you think happens when overwhelming but untrained talent meets the natural drive to live?  You get an ill prepared hunter cornering a rat.  In the end the stronger opponent was defeated by the desperation and determination of the small animal simply trying to live.  It turned out the rat had the potential to grow larger and stronger than the hunter the entire time."

Sethrol turned away from the body looking the two in the eye before raising a hand, pointing his finger towards the heavens.  "I started this with a question.  What does it mean to pursue a shadow?  After that fight, Jonathan trained under many masters and honed the talent he was born with, yet he never even came close to catching up to Mira.  A shadow is something tangible yet in tangible, a black outline of the more complicated aspects of a persons body.  You cannot be harmed by a shadow directly, but often times that shadow is more imposing than the human it is attached to.  I don't know if you can ever truly catch a shadow, especially since you cannot touch it.  However, as I stare at this young man's body, I cannot help but wonder what would have happned if Jonathan had chased Mira herself?"

Sethrol sighed and said,  "Yes that is the greatest shame of this young man's life, the great bond lost to envy."

[YOLF]

Zhang Liu

An outpouring of complaints washed over the man's thoughts, but they stopped at the bottleneck of his throat. He grumbled through the tale, but he made no motion to stop it, and dutifully aided in the burial. Sethrol often spoke without purpose, with the purpose itself to provoke harmony and thoughtfulness, but rarely, he had a point to make. Zhang Liu could recognize one here, though he was not an audience that could benefit from it.

He had seen this story with his own eyes - or at least part of it. All in the Great Dojo followed their own preconceptions. The choosing of their path to martial achievement and self-perfection was always based on egoism, in the end; and if left unchecked, such an ego could consume their common principles, their mutual respect, and even the foundations of their collective identification and universal virtues. It was inevitable that, even among those who recalled honor, some would be cast aside.

And that when they proved that such rejection was borne on false premises, then those who had built their life on them would find themselves chasing phantoms, seeking to validate their doubts against questions that had no true answers to begin with.

[Panda]

Nanako

Nanako cocked an eyebrow as Zhang grumbled, the squirrel girl moving without thinking about it to aid in the burial as she listened to Sethrol's story with eager curiosity. The struggle for survival that the older man laid out struck a familiar chord with her. Familiar, but not quite the same. The scorn of those who'd once pitied you, for trying to claw your way up to where they stood, that was something she understood easily enough. The reasons, however...

"Kinda sounds like they're focusing too hard on just one thing," Nanako noted, "And it sounds like Jonathan met someone hungrier than him, that first time."

[yinsukin]

Sethrol

"Hungrier?  Perhaps.  Its hard to say if one was hungrier than the other."

Sethrol raised an eyebrow but smiled at Zhang's discomfort.  Regardless of how much he felt annoyed by his story, the man was speechless and even neglected to pick up on his cue to bury the body in the hole.  Beaming with pride in his social diversion, the old man nodded, both at Zhang and Nanako's comment.

"But I think there is merit to what you say.  We all focus so much on our disciplines that we often lose sight of whats important in life.  Jonathan himself chased the ideal of Mira so intensely that he likely couldn't accept being in the shadow of a shadow.  Although I suppose that is a more simplistic hubris than what you speak of.  Still, lets not sully the dead with talking about his faults.  Do you know what Jonathan was really admirable for?"

[YOLF]

Zhang Liu

As if the spell of his master's chant had been broken, Zhang Liu painfully realized he had not been working on burying Jonathan. It was, however, too late to escape. He didn't wish to be taken for someone who enjoyed staring at corpses in the middle of funerary proceedings, but he couldn't turn his face from the questions posed now.

His eyes tilted to Nanako's face. Hunger. What an inelegant way to put it, but perhaps it wasn't wrong. But what was hunger when your stomach would always remain empty? He cleared his frown for Sethrol and answered.

"His perseverance. No matter the futility, or confused purpose he followed, he was sincere in his pursuit to surpass Mira."

[Panda]

Nanako

The squirrel girl cocked an eyebrow as Zhang hugged Jonathan's corpse without saying a word until Sethrol finally took the body from him. She gave the man a slight nod of understanding, well aware that the loss was probably affecting him far more. Nanako took a moment to reach over and pat Zhang's shoulder comfortingly before returning to her work, giving Sethrol a curious look.

"No, I never knew the guy," Nanako shook her head, "Was it his perseverance, as Zhang said, or something else?"

[Kotomine_Rin]

Vega

"Perseverance without strength is worthless. Praising only a single quality devalues the man." A calm voice flowed like buttered honey behind the three. That's when they saw that man, standing behind them, and watching over the grave solemnly. Despite his bandaged body, he wore a most elegant black suit, with sunglasses that reflected the skies above them.

"His skill and passion to his craft were outright formidable. Were he just a bit faster, he'd have surpassed Mira with ease - and perhaps had a chance to vanquish me. His mastery over the earth and his own body were superb."

It was utter madness. Why else would he stroll in this place, right now, when the two men's claws were so eager to skewer him? No, it wasn't just mere madness. As he deftly slipped a hand in his breast pocket, a golden cross was clutched, and he held it up to him in silent prayer.

"I hope he finds his path in the azure sky."

[yinsukin]

Sethrol the Passionate

"Oh another guest," Sethrol said, turning to face a familiar voice.  "So you are the one who killed him....  I welcome you to this funeral.  To give your prayers to someone you have defeated is a mark of honor."

The universe's power seemed to gather into Sethrol's old body, his muscles tensing then inflating as chi filled his old bones with raw power.  The energy of the enviroment and the energy within ones own soul combined into an aura of sheer wrath.  This contradicted Sethrol's face which remained calm and collected.  Soft eyes, a neutral mouth position, steady breath, the look given to Vega was the same calm understanding one he gave all his students.

That was the closest thing to a warning the young man would get.

A fist slammed into Vega's back, sending creating a crater where the man stood.  Even then, Sethrol kept his calm expression, but his glare was piecing after that moment, an intent to kill almost palpable.  "Perseverance comes before strength.  The will to achieve must develop before the strength to achieve that goal materializes.  Speed?  Strength?  Durability?  Skill?  All of these would have come with time if he was patient.  Young people are so reckless, in such a hurry to succeed.....  If he hadn't challenged you with the arrogance of youth, he may still be alive."

The passion in his voice arising from the next sentence was only matched by the sudden overwhelming amount of chi overflowing from his body.  "Although if you hadn't killed him, he also would still be alive today."